Untimely
by Sora Evringard
Summary: Sometimes, it's the little things that count. Though major events have played as they should have, smaller, seemingly insignificant events have not occurred out as the should. If they occurred at all. Unfortunately, these "small" alterations in time can have the greatest consequences. Vampire Hobbits!
1. Chapter 1

Untimely

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer, I do not own any Lord of the Rings or any characters from said work of fiction. Kendrick is owned by a friend of mine, who has allowed me the use of his character.

– –

Laughter echoed through the warm autumn air. The dusk sky was aflame with brilliant reds and oranges that bled into the cooler violet hue of coming night. The little creatures were having a party. It knew...even if it never had one. One does not need to experience something to know what it is. The smells from the pastries and meats were sickeningly sweet. It felt that it was quite a shame to be cooking meat so. Meat was best served warm and juicy. Living and screaming.

The little creatures it watched were none the wiser to its presence. It preferred it that way. It wondered what they would taste like. Would they be sour and chewy like a Dwarf, or would they be soft and fruity like an Elf. Humans were its favorite with their buttery flavor.

–

The celebration was finally dying down. It was getting awfully late, and old Bilbo didn't have the stamina he once had. If only he still had his Ring. Thinking about the Ring had him thinking about the adventure he had gone on so many years ago. He wondered how the remaining company of Dwarves were doing. He had been quite sad to hear that old Balin had passed on. However, he was glad that the old Dwarf had gone out with a fight. As Bilbo was certain he would have wanted. The old Hobbit banished the thought of the Ring from his mind. It was gone now. Maybe it was for the best that it was gone.

It had only been a few weeks since the retaking of the Shire. He hadn't been there to see, but he heard that the Sackville-Bagginses were up to their old tricks. The clan was all huff and no puff though. It didn't take his dear nephew or his friends long to deal with the errant Hobbits or the mysterious men who backed them up. The men had all but walked out of the shire as soon as the company of Hobbits returned from their adventure. Leaving Lotho Sackville-Baggins to wallow in his excuses. Especially after having locked his own mother in the lock holes. Word had it that she still wasn't speaking to him.

The old Hobbit hobbled his way back towards Bag End. He hadn't gone far when Frodo caught up with him.

"Here Uncle, let me help you," Frodo offered his arm to his uncle. Bilbo took the offered arm. He hated being a burden to the younger Hobbit, but he couldn't hide the fact that his old legs just weren't what they used to be.

"Ah, Thank you lad. But what about you?" Bilbo asked. Frodo hadn't been the same since coming back from his adventure. The young spunky lad he knew now seemed like an old haggard Hobbit. Instead of getting into trouble with his friends, Frodo spent most of his days either reading or cleaning. Bilbo guessed that the four of them had gotten into enough trouble on their adventure to last a lifetime. Sometimes he didn't know who was the older of the two of them anymore.

"I'll be alright," Frodo said. He rubbed his right shoulder. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Bilbo, but he kept his silence about it nonetheless. The two continued their walk toward Bag End. They'd clean the mess from the party in the morning.

–

Frodo returned to their table with four half pints in hand. The atmosphere was lively and merry. Hobbit lads and lasses were drinking, dancing, and laughing. However, the four friends seemed unmoved by the cheer. The quest had changed all of them. They had experienced things that no other Hobbit could possibly understand.

Sam stared into his drink. The songs and cheers from the patrons was but a dull, incoherent roar to him. He was lost in thought. Though he was still exhausted from the journey, it was nothing compared to the fatigue Frodo was burdened with. Sam worried about his friend and employer. The Ring had taken so much from him.

"Rosie, another round!" a jovial patron called.

Sam's ears perked at hearing Rosie's name. The four of them had been sitting there for over half an hour and he had not once noticed Rosie. His childhood friend looked as well as she ever did. The Gardener's ears reddened when he remembered confessing to Frodo that if he would marry, he would marry her. Sam steeled his nerves and made his way to his lady fair.

Frodo barely noticed Sam get up from his seat. He might not have bothered to turn and look where his friend was going if not for the giddiness on Merry's and Pippin's faces. Frodo immediately saw why. He couldn't help but smile for his friend. Sam seemed a little bashful when talking to Rosie, but it didn't take the Hobbit lass long to pull him into a dance. Frodo couldn't help but laugh when he noticed that Rosie was the one leading.

"I had all but forgotten how to enjoy the simple things. It seems so long ago when we would steal mushrooms from Farmer Maggot then get a half stern scolding from Uncle Bilbo. I'm glad Sam figured it out. How to move on past the Ring," Frodo said.

"Try to cheer up Frodo. We're home, and the Ring is gone." Pippin said. The young Took's words haunted Frodo. Yes, the Ring was gone, but he had failed. The Ring had taken him in the end. If not for Gollum, then Sauron would have won. Merry popped Pippin on the arm for his comment.

"Ow, what?" Pippin cried as he rubbed his sore arm.

"What Pip' means Frodo is that it can't hurt you anymore. It doesn't matter who or what threw it in. The point is it's gone," Merry tried his best to console his friend.

"It's just that I'm tired of being weak. Sam, You, and Pippin fought when all I could do was run," Frodo lamented. He took a large gulp of his ale, hoping that the alcohol to numb his brain.

"Don't you be saying such stupid things. None of us could have done what you did," Merry said.

"Listen to Merry. Yeah, you gave into the Ring, but think about it this way. You outlasted Isildur. He only had the Ring a few hours before he gave in, and he was a powerful Numenorean King. So cheer up and have a drink for Sam and his new lady," Pippin downed his half pint in one go. He would have toppled over his chair had Merry not steadied him. Merry half glared at the younger Hobbit. Even though he was right, his choice of words were often times poor. However, Pippin's words and actions had their desired effect. Frodo couldn't help but laugh at his Took cousin's antics.

–

It was late before the friends departed for their homes. Pippin hobbled and wobbled back to the Great Smials. Merry decided to accompany him since Buckland was too far to travel this time of night. Plus Pippin had a habit of waking up in strange places if allowed to wander by himself after a few too many half pints.

"Meeerrrrryyy. I'm f'thine," Pippin whined. The young Hobbit could barely keep his feet straight.

"Oh no. We'll not have you waking up affixed to Farmer Maggot's scarecrow again. Aunt Eglantine would kill me if you didn't make it home because you were drunk." Merry scolded his younger cousin.

Frodo and Sam headed home to Hobbiton. The walk was quiet and peaceful. The night air was cool, but not cold. Sam's cheeks were aglow with love. He and Rosie would have danced the night away had she not been working. Frodo gave a knowing smile to his companion. He was glad that Sam was moving on from the Ring.

The two friends bade each other goodnight when they reached Sam's smial. The ale had all but worn off by the time Frodo had reached Bag End. As he reached for the door, a cold wind blew past him. Though cool breezes were not uncommon in the Shire this time of night and at this time of year, this one chilled Frodo to the bone.

"Frodo..." a sinister whisper called.

Fear ran through Frodo's body. He grabbed for the door handle. He turned the round knob and made haste into the smial. Fear still coursed through his body, though he knew he was now safe inside. He slid down onto the floor and cradled his head into his knees. Hot tears ran down his face as tried to hold back his sobs. He was ashamed. Ashamed to be so afraid, and in his own home. Bilbo's loud snoring brought the younger Baggins out of his thoughts. He mustered the strength to pick himself up off of the floor, and made his way to his room. But not before locking the front door against potential intruders.

It watched it's prey fumble for the door knob to his house. The sweet scent of fear permeated the early morning air. The little one quickly retreated into the little hole. It let an hour pass before it made its way to the home. It surveyed the habitat of its prey. Searching for an entrance close to its prey and easy to access. It came upon its prey's bedroom window. The small thing slept restlessly. It watched its prey for some time. It brushed its talons tenderly across the window pane. It continued to watch its prey as a mother would watch her sleeping babe.

Dawn light began to peak over the horizon when it decided to return to its hiding place. The red cloth of its cloak fluttered about its gangly frame as it retreated to the hole that was its temporary abode. It grinned at the still fresh image of its little one tossing and turning in his little bed.

–

Frodo was in agony. The scar from the Morgul blade seared with pain. It felt like it had back on that fateful night when he received the wound. Only now it seemed like the blade was red hot and being twisted by the hand that wielded it. It was all he could do to not scream.

The pain and the weakness from his restless sleep confined Frodo to his bed. It also robbed him of his appetite. He could barely hold down the tea that Bilbo would bring him. Frodo managed little naps here and there. By midday the pain in his shoulder was beginning to make him delirious. Frodo was utterly unaware of the time when he felt a strong hand upon his good shoulder.

"Mister Frodo?" Sam called out.

Frodo tried to focus. Sam's voice sounded distant and muffled. As if someone had covered his mouth with their hands and were dragging him away.

He sensed the heat from the tea before he felt the cup press up to his lips. It smelled sweet, and floral. He faintly remembered the sweet taste of the tea Aragorn had given him after he was attacked at Weathertop. Frodo sipped at the tea, but immediately spat out the vile tasting liquid.

–

Bilbo was preparing afternoon tea when he heard Frodo scream followed by the sound of breaking ceramic. The old Hobbit hurried to his nephew's room where he beheld a most disturbing sight.

"GET OFF ME!" Frodo snarled. He thrashed violently at Sam, who held him by the wrists.

"Mr. Frodo stop our you'll hurt yourself," Sam cried. It was taking all of his strength to restrain his friend. Sam decided to try to get behind Frodo in order to keep from being injured himself. Not taking his hands off of Frodo's wrists, the Gardener worked his strategy. As soon as he was in place, he pressed his chest against the younger Hobbits back. He then used his new leverage to pin Frodo's arms across his chest.

Frodo's screams were low and guttural. Almost as if he was roaring instead of screaming. Sam was holding onto his friend, though Bilbo could see that the young Hobbit was scared out of his wits. Bilbo was paralyzed by the scene.

"Get Help!" Sam's cries broke Bilbo from his paralysis. As fast as his old legs could carry him, he ran out of Bag End hoping that someone, anyone, could help Frodo. As luck would have it, Merry, Pippin, and his cousin Kendrick, were coming up the hill with a picnic basket.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 to whet your appetites with. This story will be updated on a weekly basis.

* * *

Pippin awoke, as always, terribly hungry. The smell of eggs and bacon from the kitchen didn't help his condition. The Young Took tried to sneak his way out of bed, but was foiled by Merry who had rolled over onto him.

"Where do you think you're sneaking off too?" Merry asked. Pippin struggled vainly underneath him. This is a game they had played ever since Pippin was old enough to sleep in his own bed. Pippin would try to sneak out to get first grab at breakfast, but Merry would always wake up and stop him.

"Ugh, food. Bacon! Eggs!" Pippin cried. He tried wiggling out of his cousin's grip, but it was futile.

"Come on Pip, what's the password?" Merry teased. Pippin wiggled a little bit more before giving up.

"Meeeerrrrrryyyy!" Pippin cried. Merry laughed at his cousin, but finally let him run off to breakfast.

Pippin ran to the dining hall. If he was fast enough, he could still get to the crispy bacon. Nothing soured the young Hobbit for a day more than soggy, cold, bottom of the bowl, bacon. To his dismay, that's all that was left when he sat down to the table. He silently piled his plate with eggs, toast, and sausage. He was about to reach for the bacon platter when a plate piled high with crispy bacon was placed next to his mountain of food. He looked up to see Kendrick smiling at him. Spirits brightened, Pippin dug into his breakfast. Between bites of toast, eggs, and delicious bacon, a thought occurred to him.

"You're bribing me." Pippin accused his cousin. Kendrick shrugged as he returned to his plate. By this time Merry had decided to join the family for breakfast.

"Merry, he's bribing me." Pippin said with a mouth full of bacon. Bribe or no, the bacon was too delicious to not eat.

"Well then stop eating it," Merry laughed as he snatched the bacon from Pippin and ate it. Pippin tried hoarding the plate, but Merry just began snatching pieces of bacon from the top of the pile.

Kendrick watched his two cousins bicker over the "bribe" he offered them. Though he knew he would never be as close to them as they were to each other, he smiled nonetheless. They had experienced hardships together that bound them beyond blood. The bonds that held adventurers together were the stuff of legends. Kendrick wrote his cousins' antics down in his notebook. Their banter was gold to a writer.

"So, what's the bribe for?" Pippin asked completely unaware that there was a piece of bacon stuck to his hair. Kendrick did his best not to laugh at how silly the young Took looked.

"What, can't I give my cousin a plate of his favorite breakfast food?" Kendrick asked with a sly smile on his face.

"Nice try, I know you only offer me food when you want something," Pippin retorted. His mouth now full of eggs and toast.

"Alright, you caught me. I want to talk with old Bilbo, so I was wondering if I could accompany you two when you go to Bag End today," Kendrick confessed. Merry and Pippin looked at each other.

"Uh, yeah sure," Pippin choked out. How did he know? They discussed that trip last night at the Green Dragon. Merry was thinking the same thing.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you know about our trip?" Merry asked.

"You two talk in your sleep. It's quite entertaining to hear, especially when you're drunk. Did you know that you two have compelling and deep conversations in your sleep when you've had a few?" Kendrick replied.

"Uhh, how do you know we talk in our sleep?" Pippin stammered. He was mad, but embarrassment was winning over his anger for his cousin.

"Pip, my room is next door to yours. You're pretty loud when you sleep talk," Kendrick retorted. Pippin nodded slowly, and went back to eating.

"What else have you heard?" Merry asked.

"Lots. All of it written in my log book." Kendrick tried holding back his laughter. He lost it though at the look of horror on his cousins' faces. His side was beginning to hurt from the force of his laughter. Merry and Pippin didn't think it funny and tackled the prospective scribe. Kendrick only laughed harder.

"I'm joking. There is no log book. I swear by the Valar," Kendrick wiped the tears from his eyes as he got his laughter under control.

Light footsteps alerted the trio to approaching company. All three of them looked up to see Pearl, Pimpernel, and Pervinca glaring at them.

"I see out dear little brother has eaten all of the bacon again." Pearl said.

"And made a huge mess." Pimpernel added. The dining room was a mess. Scrambled eggs and toast littered the table, chairs, and floor. There were eggs on the candelabra above the table. The Hobbit lads looked at each other. Pippin still had the bacon strip in his hair, which Merry took the opportunity to remove and eat.

"We move on three," Merry whispered to Pippin and Kendrick, "One, two, thr..."

"Look at this mess! Peregrin Took where do you think you're going?!" Eglantine yelled.

"Uh, we're visiting Frodo today," Pippin replied. Merry nodded in confirmation.

"Not until you three clean this mess up. Come on girls, I'll make you some fresh breakfast," Eglantine said as she escorted the Hobbit lasses to the kitchen. Pippin and Merry sighed.

"You can get off me now," Kendrick said. He was still pinned under his cousins. Merry and Pippin complied and let their cousin up. The trio quietly began cleaning up the mess they had made. The silence began to grate on Kendrick.

"You've fought orcs, trolls, wraiths, and wizards, yet both of you shake in your boots when Aunt Eglantine gets in a huff," Kendrick baited. It didn't take long for Pippin to take it.

"Shut it. You were scared too," Pippin retorted.

"But dear cousin, I'm not a brave adventurer like you," Kendrick laughed. He cut his laughter short when he realized Merry and Pippin weren't joining, "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Merry said angrily. Kendrick had done nothing but get on his nerves this morning.

Pippin sensed the tension.

"Alright, come on. Merry, he said he was sorry, and I believe him. Let's just get this done so we can go. If we hurry we might be able to make it to Bag End by afternoon tea," Pippin's voice was stern, allowing no room for argument.

Kendrick decided to take a load of dishes to the kitchen to give his cousins space. Merry and Pippin continued with the dining hall. A half an hour had passed before they realized Kendrick had yet to return from the kitchen.

"Lazy lout," Merry mumbled as he swept the remains of breakfast onto his dustpan.

"Merry, talk to me," Pippin said as he finished cleaning the candelabra. He took a seat and offered the one next to him to Merry.

"I can't believe you're letting Kendrick the Weird come with us to Bag End," Merry blurted out. He was just short of yelling at his younger cousin.

"He'll be talking with Bilbo for the better part of the day, so he won't be bothering us. Besides, he's not that bad," Pippin replied.

"Not that bad? Pip, you heard what he just said," Merry ranted.

"I know what he said. Any one could have said that Merry. They don't understand what happened. They weren't there. They don't have the nightmares. I still see Faramir on the pyre. I hear Denathor screaming in madness as he lights that fire in my sleep. I know that you're still haunted by the Witch King. I've seen you grip your sword arm in your sleep," Pippin said.

Merry drew his young cousin into a hug. It pained him to know that Pippin had to live through seeing a father nearly kill his remaining son. He knew Pippin thought he was part of the reason for Denathor's madness. Had Boromir not died protecting them, Denathor wouldn't have gone mad with grief over his lost son. It also embarrassed him to know that Pippin knew about his nightmares of the Witch King. The pain that coursed through his hand after stabbing the Nazgul leader in the leg was the worst he ever felt. It had been a terrifying, yet happy moment. Happy because it bought Eowyn the necessary time to finish the Nazgul off. Phantom pain still haunted him from time to time.

"Now now. Because of you, Faramir lives. Boromir would be proud to have such a Hobbit look after his brother. The Nazgul are gone too. We'll be able to move on eventually. By the way, when did you get all serious and smart?" Merry tried to cheer Pippin up.

"I'm hung over," Pippin stated. The headache was gone, but his brain hadn't recovered yet.

"Ah, that explains things," Merry said as he ruffled his cousins hair. The silence the two sat comfortably in only lasted seconds before Kendrick returned.

"Ready to go? I talked Aunt Eglantine into making a picnic basket for us," Kendrick said. Merry and Pippin looked forlornly at each other. Kendrick the Weird was weird due to his ill timing as well as well timing. Often times he would appear at the wrong time. Not wrong, as in unwelcome per se, but wrong as it would often be the right time and what he had to say or provide would be what was needed at that time. Seventeen years had now passed since Kendrick came to live at the Great Smials. In all that time, his untimeliness still unnerved Pippin.

Merry strode over to Kendrick. Without being asked too, the Took gave him the basket.

"You didn't just stuff the dishes from breakfast into the basket did you?" Merry asked. The basket was quite heavy.

"It's all food. Check it if you'd like," Kendrick replied. Merry decided to take his cousin's word on it.

After checking to make sure the dining hall would meet Eglantine's approval, the trio of Hobbits set off for Bag End.

–

They reached Bagshot Row around early afternoon. Pippin imagined that they'd hit Bag End just in time for tea. They heard the pitter patter of feet running towards them from up ahead. Before long they saw Bilbo Baggins running and flailing at them.

"Lads Help! It's Frodo!" Bilbo yelled. The old Hobbit was breathless from his run. He would have collapsed from exhaustion had Merry not grabbed him.

"What's wrong with Frodo?" Pippin asked. His voice was trembling with worry.

"He's thrashing about madly. Sam is holding him down as best he can. Frodo is not well today. First it was the pain in his shoulder causing him to be bedridden, now this," Bilbo explained.

"Go help Sam and Frodo. I'll help Bilbo back to the smail," Kendrick said as he took Bilbo from Merry's arms.

Merry and Pippin ran as fast as they could up to Bag End. They heard the commotion before they even rounded the corner to the front door.

"LET GO OF ME!" Frodo screamed. The cousins quickened their pace. They barely entered Frodo's bedroom when they collided with Sam, who had been thrown at their general direction. Pippin looked up to a terrifying sight. Frodo's appearance was wild and mad. His eyes locked onto his cousin's gaze. Frodo's eyes paralyzed Pippin with fear, and yet they drew him in.

Merry was quick on his feet. He tackled Frodo to the bed. Pippin's line of sight with Frodo's eyes was now broken. Thinking quickly, he got to his feet and ran to assist Merry. Without words, they coordinated their efforts to pin Frodo down. Merry on Frodo's left, and he on his right.

"LET ME GO!" Frodo roared. He thrashed about wildly in an attempt to free himself from his captors. Merry and Pippin were having trouble holding their cousin down.

Sam felt a bruise forming from where his head met the floor. He was slightly disoriented from the blow. Realization that he had ended up where he was because Frodo threw him shocked him. The Gardener felt someone grabbing him from behind. He reflexively lashed an elbow to whomever was behind him.

"Ow, I was only trying to help," Kendrick's voice was muffled by his hand, which was holding a now bleeding nose.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Sam apologized.

"I'm alright, but Frodo isn't," Kendrick replied. His nose was a little bloody, but it wasn't broken. He wiped what blood had dripped out with the back of his hand.

"We need to calm him down. I have some asphodel leaves. I can make something for him, but I need a few minutes," Sam said.

"Right, Hurry," Kendrick replied as Sam ran to the kitchen. Kendrick looked back at his cousins. Frodo was starting to get the best of the two. He hurried to the bedside.

"Grab his feet!" Merry cried out. Kendrick did as he was told. Kendrick held on to Frodo for dear life. He hoped Sam would finish that medicine soon.

Frodo would show his captors how "weak" he was. He managed to wiggle one leg free of Kendrick's grip, and slammed his foot hard into his cousin's face. The force of the blow sent Kendrick flying into the writing desk. His head fell hard against the old oak desk, knocking him unconscious.

Sam returned with a cloth saturated in the asphodel extract. He arrived none too soon as Merry and Pippin were starting to lose their hold on Frodo. Sam noticed Kendrick was out cold next to the writing desk. Not wasting anymore time. Sam made his way over to his friend and held the cloth to his face. Frodo fought him fiercely, but the extract did its duty. The young Baggins' eyes soon rolled to the back of his head as he lost his battle with sleep.

Merry couldn't help but lie back onto the bed. Frodo had put up a hard fight, and he was exhausted. Pippin rolled out from under Frodo's right arm. His breath was short and labored. Sam was already tending to Kendrick. Pippin saw blood dripping from his cousin's head.

"Sam, how is he?" Pippin's voice was trembling from exhaustion and fear.

"He hit his head pretty hard. The corner of the desk cut him pretty bad, but he's fine otherwise. I have some kingsfoil I can put on the cut," Sam said. Pippin breathed a sigh of relief. But what had caused Frodo to go berserk.

"What happened?" Pippin asked. He looked at Frodo, unconscious and unceremoniously sprawled out on his bed. Pippin took his cousins legs, and lifted him back onto the bed. He inadvertently pinned Merry underneath Frodo as Merry was still lying on the bed. Not bothering to complain, Merry gently wiggled out from underneath Frodo. He replaced the blankets, which had been knocked to the floor during the scuffle.

"I don't know. I noticed his old wound was hurting, so I gave him some kingsfoil tea like Strider did on Weathertop. He just slapped it out of my hand and started thrashing," Sam explained as he finished patching up Kendrick's head.

–

Frodo's vision was blurry, and his head was foggy. He didn't know if it was night time or day time. The light coming from the candle on his bed stand seemed unusually bright. When his vision cleared, he saw Bilbo sitting in a chair next to his bed. His uncle's face was wrinkled with worry.

"How long was I out?" Frodo asked. He absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. The pain was now a dull ache.

"Do you remember anything?" Bilbo asked in return. His nephew's puzzled expression told him that he didn't.

"What happened?" Fear tinged Frodo's voice.

"Sam was giving you some medicine when you attacked him. Luckily your friends Merry, Pippin, and Kendrick arrived shortly after. It took the three of them to hold you down while Sam made you something to calm you down," Bilbo answered. Frodo's face paled. He didn't remember any of that.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Frodo asked.

"Kendrick, got a good bump on the noggin. He was out for three hours. Sam, Merry, and Pippin got you back in bed after they calmed you down. The three of them weren't hurt. Well, Sam also bumped his head, but not as bad as Kendrick," Bilbo explained. Frodo's face fell. Bilbo reached out and squeezed his nephew's hand, "Try not to dwell on it. You weren't yourself, and your friends know that. I gave Sam the day off tomorrow. Kendrick asked me to tell you that there are no hard feelings. After you went back to sleep the lads were giving Sam a good ribbing about his lady. I suggested he take his day offto spend with her. Now, would you like something to eat?"

Frodo nodded his head. He laid back as his uncle went to bring him dinner. He wasn't really hungry, but he didn't want Bilbo to worry anymore than he already was. The dull ache from his shoulder reminded him yet again about his weak willed mind and weak body.

–

It quickly made its way through the quiet moonlit streets. The little creatures were sound asleep, making this the perfect time to attack. It silently crept up to its little one's bedroom window. The little one was sleeping peacefully.

Its half ethereal form made no sound as it entered the room. The scent of asphodel lingered in the room. It noticed the remains of a small meal of bread and cheese on the night stand. The tea cup sitting next to the platter held a small amount of tea, which reeked of asphodel. This explained why its little one was sleeping so soundly.

It recoiled when the scent of kingsfoil assailed its nostrils. The offending odor was coming from a small stain near the writing desk. It did its best to ignore the foul stench. The little one was worth the discomfort. It crept onto its little one's bed. Its little one slept on undisturbed.

–

The bone chilling sound from his nephew's screams jolted the old Hobbit out of his sleep. Between Frodo's cries, Bilbo noticed the sound of phantom whispers. The blood drained from Bilbo's face. There was an intruder in the smial. Possibly a wight at that. He knew well the stories of the wights of the Barrow Downs. How they would whisper to their prey and ensnare them with gold. But, what was a wight doing in Bag End? He grabbed Galadriel's phial, a gift from Frodo after he had nearly burnt the smial out after he dropped a candle one night. He also unsheathed Sting. The old Hobbit hoped that one of the two treasures would be enough to repel the wight. He also stuffed some cotton and wax in his ears to muffle the whispers from the creature.

His old legs hobbled as fast as they could to Frodo's room. Horror filled him when he beheld the gruesome sight. It was no wight he was to face. A wight would be a walk in the park compared to the creature before him. He had only heard tales of its existence, but now one of them was draining his nephew of his blood. Such a death was slow and excruciating since the creature is said to prefer to take its time. Tightening his grip on the phial and Sting, Bilbo charged at the red wraith.

–

Its little one's screams were music to its ears. His blood tasted of bread and hops. It decided that these little creatures, these Hobbits, were its new favorite flavor. The asphodel in its little one's blood was making it feel giddy. It laughed at its little one's feeble attempts to push it off of him.

Light filled the room. It screamed in agony as the rays of light touched it, making its skin blister and burn. It used its arms to shield its face from the light, dropping its little one back onto the bed. It turned towards the source of the light. The offending light was being held by the older inhabitant of the hole. The little creature was also holding an elf blade. This creature was offensive from both hands. It smelled fear coming from the little offensive creature, but it was overshadowed by the scent of determination.

Choosing to be offended no longer, it attacked the little creature. The old thing put up a fight, and even managed to touch it with the object the light was coming from. However, he was no match for its strength. It threw the creature down the hall. The old thing hit the ground hard. The offending light fluttered out as the glass that bound it shattered, along with the old thing's life.

It felt its strength waning quickly. The light had injured it greatly. It wanted desperately to return to its little one, but it couldn't. It needed to seek complete darkness quickly, or else it would be caught out in daylight. It made its way to one of the home's pantries. The windowless closet was perfect. It haphazardly threw the food cluttering the space out into the hallway to make room for itself. Its little one wasn't going anywhere. It would finish tomorrow.

–

Frodo was too weak to move, let alone get out of bed. He felt cold, even though he was covered by blankets. He wondered where his uncle was, but was too weak to cry out for him.

The day passed by slowly. Frodo was alone. Bilbo had not come by since last night. He wondered where his uncle could be. Though he would usually be working on his book, it was unlike him not to stop in whenever Frodo was sick in bed.

As the hours passed, Frodo's mind delved further into dark thoughts. He was tired of the weakness in his limbs that left him unable to leave his bed. He was tired of the nightmares that robbed him of his sleep. Frodo didn't know if he was awake or asleep anymore.

The creature from his nightmares returned. He heard it whisper gently to him as it took him into his arms. Frodo did not fight it. He allowed it to croon into the nook of his neck. He rested his head on its shoulder. Frodo thought that the creature would smell putrid and dead, but it smelled of moss and wheat.

Frodo stifled his scream as the creature bit into his neck. He felt the life begin to drain from him as it slowly consumed his blood. His vision was blurry, and vertigo was setting in. Though the feeling of weakness was upon him ten fold, he was so tired of being weak. Frodo mustered what remained of his strength and fought back with the only weapon he had left.

–

Sam left for Bag End fifteen before ten. His bag was heavy with his gardening tools, but it did nothing to slow the spring in his step. He had spent his day off with Rosie. They had spent the day by the Bywater Pool enjoying a lovely picnic. The weather had been nice and balmy, children played merrily by the shore, other couples enjoying the perfect autumn day by the Water as well. The fresh memories from yesterday made his morning bright and cheery. Nothing could bring him down today.

The door to Bag End was locked. Sam thought nothing of it though. Bilbo and Frodo were probably out and about, and had just locked the door in case Lotho tried to visit while they were away. Though he had been largely ostracized and all but run out of Hobbiton, he still tried breaking in from time to time. The last time he tried, he had gotten himself stuck in the study window. Bilbo and Frodo had decided to spare him of charges of burglary after it was discovered that the local children had been taking turns going at Lotho's bottom with switches. Thinking of Frodo, Sam hoped that his friend was feeling better. He took the key Frodo had given him and unlocked the door.

A chill ran down Sam's back as he closed the door behind him. The air was stagnant and cold, like a barrow. Though he hadn't noticed it from the outside, the windows in the atrium were blocked out by place mats and wooden platters. Concerned, Sam began checking rooms. The pantry was a wreck. Breads, cheeses, and rotting fruits and vegetables were scattered about the kitchen floor. Sam quickened his pace to the bedrooms. Terror gripped him when he found Bilbo's body in the hallway. In his hands were Sting and the broken phial of Galadriel. The old Hobbit had suffered a broken neck. Where was Frodo?

"Sam?" a voice whispered.

Sam recognized the voice belonging to Frodo. He hastened to Frodo's room.

"Mr. Frodo?!" Sam called out.

"In here Sam." Frodo called back.

The scene was gruesome. Blood was everywhere. The floor, the ceiling, the bed, and even the writing desk were covered in it. It looked like a full grown man had exploded inside the room. Sam saw Frodo curled up on his bed with his back facing him. He too was covered in blood.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam ran over to Frodo. He checked his friend for injuries. He sighed with relief when he found nothing obvious.

"I'm alright Sam," Frodo said as he turned to face Sam. A shiver ran down the Gardener's spine as Frodo clasped his hands with his own. Frodo's hands were cold, clammy, and sticky from the drying blood. His face was all but covered in blood. The worst of it from the nose down. Sam held back his breakfast at the sight of his dear friend.

"Frodo, what happened?" Sam asked. Frodo was looking down at their hands. His body began to sway, then it collapsed. Sam quickly grabbed Frodo before he could fall off the bed. He felt his friend embrace him for stability.

"Sam?" Frodo cried into Sam's shoulder. Sam felt Frodo tighten his embrace. He responded in kind, knowing that Frodo needed comforting.

"It's alright Mr. Frodo. Everything will be alright," Sam assured his friend.

–

There was not a dry eye as the friends and family of Bilbo Baggins paid their final respects to their dearly departed friend. Even Lobelia Sackville-Baggins managed to find a few kind words for her kin. Though Lotho was conspicuously, and gratefully absent from the funeral.

Merry, was quite frankly, tired of dealing with Lotho Sackville-Baggins. Not hours after Bilbo's body was removed from Bag End, Lotho had staked a claim on the inheritance. The Pimple argued that Frodo murdered Bilbo and was therefore legally barred from claiming Bilbo's estate. Most of Hobbiton agreed that Lotho had sunk to a new low. The undertaker had ruled Bilbo died naturally in his sleep. However, Lotho insisted that Frodo murdered him and that if he were "innocent" then he would be here to proclaim it. Pippin had to hold Merry back from punching the lout in the face the few times he had dared visiting Bag End.

No one knew where Frodo had gone, or when he had left. Sam was also missing. Though rumors were spreading, Merry guessed that the two had gone on a trip out of the Shire. Frodo may not even be aware that Bilbo had passed away.

–

Merry was finishing up some of the estate paperwork for the Baggins estate. Frodo would have to sign some things when he and Sam returned. In Frodo's absence, Merry decided it would be best to house sit Bag End. Especially with Lotho blathering about murder conspiracies like he was. Merry wouldn't put it past Pimple to try to break in a few more times. He hoped that the two would return soon. It had been a fortnight since Bilbo's funeral. Strange and frightening things had been occurring. Shortly after the funeral, livestock and other woodland creatures were found dead. Their throats mutilated, and their bodies drained of blood. Last week Hobbits began turning up dead. Rosie Cotton among them. She had been found not half a mile from the Green Dragon Inn.

"Hoy Merry," Pippin called out from the front door. Merry set his paperwork on the study desk, and went to greet his cousin.

"Pippin! Did you buy out the entire market?" Merry could barely make out his cousin underneath sacks and crates of food.

"There's more outside. I also brought the linens," Pippin replied. He began stacking the crates by the wall. "Figured we might as well get things stocked and cleaned whenever Frodo returns."

–

Merry was enjoying a smoke under the autumn sky. The sun had barely set, allowing the stars to shine in the night sky. Pippin had returned to the Great Smials little more than an hour ago, leaving Merry alone at Bag End. He was staying there until Frodo returned. However, Merry was beginning to give merit to some of the rumors floating around town. Merry would give his friends one more day to return. If they didn't, then he'd talk with Pippin about organizing a search party. Between the Tooks and the Bucklanders, there should be plenty of feet on the ground to look for the two missing Hobbits.

Merry's ears perked when he heard the laughter. It seemed to be close by, but there was no one out. Most Hobbits had begun staying indoors after dark due to the rising number of dead.

"Merry," a voice called from the distance. The voice sounded familiar, but it was too far away for Merry to recall who it belonged to.

"Merry," the voice was clearer. It was unmistakably Frodo's. Merry started in the direction of Frodo's call. He saw him at the end of Hobbiton, near Hobbiton Road leading to Bywater. Merry was puzzled by how he was able to hear Frodo when he was so far away. Frodo turned and started heading toward Bywater. Without a second thought, Merry began chasing after him.

Hours had passed since the chase began. Where was Frodo leading him? Was it even Frodo he was following? Whenever he would think it better to turn back around, he would hear his cousin call. Then the chase would continue again.

"Come one Merry, we're almost there," Frodo called again.

"Almost where?" Merry called back. He was tired. He hadn't realized how far away from Bag End he had gone. He was now on the edge of the Woody End. Merry wanted to turn back, but felt compelled to continue. Almost as if his feet had a mind of their own, and they were taking him further into the wood.

"Here," Frodo's voice whispered from behind him. Startled, Merry spun around to meet his cousin's face. His heart was beating fiercely from the fright Frodo gave him. Unsure if it was indeed his cousin, Merry tentatively placed his hand on Frodo's shoulder. Once sure that the Hobbit in front of him was not an illusion, he drew him into a hug. Giving no warning, Merry wrapped his left arm around Frodo's neck and head and bent him over. Frodo cried out when he took the knuckles of his right hand and began rubbing them into his cousin's hair.

"You dolt! Don't scare me like that. Where have you been anyway? Where's Sam?" Merry began interrogating Frodo.

"Gyah, Merry!" Frodo cried. He tried wiggling out of Merry's grip, but he didn't have the leverage. Merry had a distinct height advantage to him due to drinking the Ent draught. Both Hobbits toppled to the ground when Frodo managed to kick Merry's left foot out from under him. Unfortunately, Frodo ended up being the cushion for the taller Hobbit, "Ow, Merry get off."

"Not until you tell me where you've been for the last two weeks," Merry demanded. Though he had intended to hold his cousin down until he talked, he suddenly found himself flat on his back with Frodo holding him down. Merry was a bit stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"We've been here," Frodo replied still holding his cousin down. Merry tried getting up, but found that Frodo's hold on him was solid.

"Frodo, let me go. Frodo?" Merry noticed that Frodo wasn't paying attention to him. He was looking up towards the woods. Merry followed his glance, and saw Sam standing about twenty feet away from them. He didn't seem to be in a chatty mood, nor did he seem to be inclined to help the Bucklander. Merry struggled harder to get out from under Frodo, but his cousin's grip only tightened on his shoulders. Merry was further pinned as Frodo pressed his chest against his own. He could feel his cousin's breath on his face and neck. Merry was beginning to freak out. He was physically stronger than his cousin. How was Frodo able to hold him down so easily?

"Are you frightened?" Frodo whispered into his ear. Frightened was a bit of an understatement. Merry was utterly terrified. He felt helpless under his cousin's grip. A whimper involuntarily escaped his lips as he felt Frodo gently nibbling his ear and throat.

"Mr. Frodo, it's going to be light soon," Sam said. Merry had all but forgotten about the Gardener. Sam was now kneeling beside him and Frodo. He didn't even hear him move.

"Sam, please. Help me," Merry choked. Tears fell from his eyes when he realized his plea fell on deaf ears. Sam had grabbed his right hand, and brought it to his lips. He began nibbling and sucking at the flesh of his wrist much like Frodo was doing to his throat.

"Please, stop," Merry begged. He cried out as pain shot through his arm. He saw that Sam now had his mouth fully clamped down on his wrist. Blood oozed down his arm from the wound Sam was greedily drinking from. He was already feeling faint when pain erupted in his neck and shoulder. He didn't have the strength to cry out. Tears fell from his eyes as he realized that his friends were draining him of blood. The pain soon dispersed as a numbness came over his wrist and neck. Merry felt strong hands guide his face away from the gruesome sight of his arm. His eyes locked with Frodo's.

"You don't need to be afraid anymore. We don't need to be afraid anymore," Frodo comforted.


	3. Chapter 3

Pippin was having trouble sleeping. He tossed and turned, hoping to find a position comfortable enough for him to conk out. Finding his efforts futile, Pippin gave up trying to sleep and decided to head to the study. At least he could try reading.

It took him half an hour to find a book interesting enough to read. It took him another half an hour just to get comfortable enough to try to read. Then there was a knocking at the door.

"Come in," Pippin set his book down on the side table. It looked like he wasn't going to get any reading done either.

Kendrick entered the study, taking care to shut the door silently behind him.

"You can't sleep either," Kendrick took a seat across from his cousin.

"I haven't been able to sleep since Merry went missing. All I can think about is that he might be dead in the woods somewhere. More Hobbits keep appearing dead day by day. I..." Pippin had to stop before he lost it. Merry had been missing for well over a week. Four more Hobbits had been found dead and drained. Most of them in the Frogmorton area. "Ken...I want him back. I want them all back."

Kendrick pulled his cousin into a hug. He let his younger cousin cry out his anger, frustration, and fear. All of the Shire was in a panic over the recent disappearances and slayings. Pippin tried putting on a brave face for the others, but Kendrick knew that Pip was just as scared as every one else. He was scared too. Kendrick tightened his embrace on his cousin. Tears slipping through his eyes.

"Why are you up? It's three in the morning now," Pippin asked, rubbing the remaining tears from his eyes.

"I couldn't sleep either," Kendrick answered. He let the younger Hobbit go, and sat down in one of the study's plush arm chairs. He didn't have the heart to tell him, but in the end, he knew he had to. "The Watch found Fatty's body."

Pipping slumped down into an adjacent arm chair and let his head fall into his hands. How many more people were going to be taken away from him?

–

Pippin arrived at the Green Dragon Inn around six o' clock. The Inn, once a place of merriment, was now the headquarters of the Watch. The Watch consisted of Hobbits brave enough to wander the roads at night. Thus, the group was small. They tried to have at least eight Hobbits per night, however, most nights they were lucky to have five. Few Bucklanders were willing to help with the searching, and even fewer Tooks. Pippin had begged his family to help. Pearl was the only one willing.

The first night had been a bit awkward when his sister arrived for their shift wearing pants. Rufus had started the night by claiming Hobbit lasses should be at home doing "lass work." The lad had received a nice shiner for that remark courtesy of Pearl. Sam's brother, Halfred, ogled her for the first half of the night, which resulted in him receiving quite a few bruises from Pippin. However, they had found one of the Bree Hobbits that night. It wasn't until they had to retrieve the body from the brook when they realized that pants were far more practical than skirts for the work they were doing. Soon after that night Marigold joined...with pants. Though every now and then a Hobbit or two would volunteer, they would never return after their first night. The five of them were the only ones willing to tough it out.

"What's the report?" Pippin was in no mood for pleasantries.

"We found one body. Fredegar Bolger was found around three o' clock this morning floating in the Bywater Pool. Same as the others. Mutilated neck and completely drained of blood. We've already notified his family." Halfred reported. Fatty had been a dear friend, but Pippin knew that he wasn't who Halfred was looking for.

It was no secret to the members of the Watch that each of them were there for more selfish reasons. Halfred and Marigold were there for Sam, whose body had yet to be found. Due to the amount of dead turning up, the Mayor had decided to declare those who were still missing as deceased. Rufus had lost a few family members himself. All but one had been found. Pippin and Pearl were there for Merry and Frodo. Pippin thought about Frodo. He had been the first to go missing, along with Sam. Shortly after Rosie's body was found. Then Merry... Was there a connection?

–

Kendrick returned to his room to find it in shambles. Parchment was strewn everywhere. Books were lying on the floor. All of his notes were scattered about and out of order. He had only been in the study a few hours, but it had been enough for someone to ransack his room. He knew it hadn't been Pippin or Pearl. They had Watch that night.

He checked under his pillow for his dream log. Ever since Frodo and Sam had gone missing, Kendrick had been having the worst nightmares. Being the good writer, he kept a log of his dreams. He was relieved to find the journal in its proper place. He read through the entry he had written the night before. It was the most frightening one yet. Not caring to look at it further, he tossed the book onto his bed. Though his dream log was not taken, something had been.

A soft rapping came from the door.

"Come in. Watch your step," Kendrick beckoned. He began sorting the parchment into piles. Nothing was in order. It would likely take him the better part of the day just to get his writings put back together. It would be hours more to get them in their proper order after that. Pippin opened the door to the room, but found that there wasn't really any space to walk on to.

"What happened here," Pippin asked.

"Someone burglarized my room. Here have a seat," Kendrick replied as he cleared a space on his bed. Pippin gingerly stepped over the parchment covered floor. It took him a good minute to get to the offered seat due to the mess.

"What was stolen?" Pippin asked. He barely noticed that his fingers had brushed up against a small, leather bound journal.

"That log book I told you about a month or so ago," Kendrick replied.

"The one where you said didn't exist? The one you swore on the Valar didn't exist?" Pippin practically screamed. He was livid.

"When I told you about it, it was just a pile of notes. I hadn't put it into a log yet, so technically I didn't lie," Kendrick replied dryly.

"That's not the point Kendrick! You swore that you weren't keeping a log at all," Pippin lunged at Kendrick. Before the older Hobbit could react, Pippin backhanded him across the face with his dream journal. He then shoved the book into his face, "What's this?!"

Before Kendrick could protest, Pippin began flipping through the dream journal. He saw his cousin's face turn white as he read the contents of the book. Pippin's expression turned from horror to anger the further along he got.

"That's my dream journal. I started having nightmares shortly after Frodo and Sam disappeared. I didn't think anything of it when I started writing my dreams down. It was cathartic for me. That was until I began to notice that they were coming true. The nightmares," Kendrick decided to head off Pippin's questions and accusations. An uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Pippin was trying to absorb what he had read and what his cousin had told him.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? When you found out they were coming true, you should have told us. We could have saved people!" Pippin berated his older cousin.

"Oh please. Who would believe Kendrick the Weird. Don't think I don't know what you call me. If I had gone to anyone with this, I would have been shipped off to a lock hole in Michel Delving faster than you could down a pint," Kendrick explained.

"I would have believed you," Pippin replied.

"Would you? Would you believe me if I told you that you were next?" Kendrick asked. Pippin felt the blood drain from his face.

"When?" Pippin asked.

"I don't know exactly when. It felt like soon. I saw you sitting in your room, when you are beckoned outside by a voice. The voice was distorted and unfamiliar to me, but to you in the dream, it seemed familiar. As if this was the reason why you follow it outside. You follow it to a wooded area. I see a small town nearby, I can't really make out where. Once in the woods, you're confronted by three shadowy figures. They drag you into the shadows with them," Kendrick recalled the dream. His eyes seemed to be focused on nothing as he relived the vision. Pippin stared at his cousin. He could hardly believed what he was hearing.

"What about Merry?" Pippin was hesitant to ask. However, he wanted to know what happened to their Bucklander cousin.

"Same thing that may happen to you. He was at Bag End when he heard someone call him. He chased it to the woods. Two shadowy figures drew him into the shadows. After that I can't see him. I've seen everyone else...after they were attacked by the same shadowy figures. I would still see their bodies. But I can't see him," Kendrick explained.

"What of Frodo and Sam?" Pippin asked. He was having a hard time listening to what his cousin was saying. It was so outlandish, and heartbreaking at the same time. Was Kendrick really having visions? A dark possibility also crossed Pippins' mind. Could Kendrick be the killer they were looking for, and the nightmares were just a red herring?

"They've never appeared in my dreams. I'm sorry," Kendrick answered.

"Are you sorry? How do I know that it wasn't you all along?" Pippin accused. The younger Took was caught off guard when Kendrick tackled him to the floor. Pippin tried fighting him off, but his cousin managed to get leverage on him.

"You fool! If it were me, why would I be warning you of your own death?" Kendrick asked.

"Because you might be a sadistic bast...ahh!" Pippin's statement was cut off by Kendrick's hand across his face. The sting from the slap had barely begun to dissipate when Kendrick pulled him into a hug.

"I don't want these dreams. I'm tired of seeing them die. Seeing their bodies found and the faces of their families as they learn the truth," Kendrick cried on his cousin's shoulder. He let his tears fall freely. "I couldn't prevent the other premonitions from happening, but I'm hoping I can prevent yours."

Pippin felt conflicted. He had trouble believing everything Kendrick had told him. However, he no longer thought that his cousin had anything to do with the murders. He thought that the Hobbit was greatly disturbed, but that didn't make him a murderer. He hugged his cousin tighter, allowing him to cry it out. Much like he had done the night before.

"I'll stay in tonight. I'll let Pearl know so she can tell the rest of the Watch," Pippin soothed.

–

Pippin had received an earful from his sister. He explained why, at least what he was certain she would believe. However, she still laid a nasty guilt trip on him. Pearl didn't even hesitate to remind him that he was the one begging for volunteers for the Watch.

Eglantine was happy to see her son stay home for once. The lad hadn't taken a break from the Watch since he started it. Though he still slept in until about two in the afternoon, she made sure that he was going to have a proper meal that evening. She noticed that Pippin hadn't been eating properly since starting the Watch. She was lucky if she could convince him to take a meal to go most nights. Eglantine made Pippin's favorite meal that night, which happened to be breakfast. The table was spread with bacon, eggs, pancakes, biscuits, berries, jam, gravy, sausage, mushrooms, fried potatoes, and ham.

"Mom, this is too much!" Pippin complained.

"Nonsense young man. You need to make up for all those meals you've missed," She softly scolded.

–

Pippin reclined comfortably on his bed. He had managed to find a good book in the study, and decided to read and relax with a glass of wine. Ale would have been too much for his overfilled stomach.

Pippin hadn't realized he dozed off. His candle still burned. He guessed that it was about eleven o' clock. He had been asleep for about two hours. Setting his book next to his empty wine glass, Pippin rose from his bed. He turned down his sheets, intending to turn in for the night. His sword fell off the bed, nearly landing on his foot. Pippin picked up the blade. He had become so paranoid of late that he began sleeping with his sword under his pillow. It had been uncomfortable the first few nights, but he eventually became accustomed to the solid object resting under his pillow.

A gentle rapping at his window brought him back to reality. He looked up to see Merry's face looking back at him.

"Hoy, Pippin," Merry greeted with a smile.

"Merry?" Pippin was elated to see his cousin's face. Without a second thought, he raced out of his room, grabbing his cloak along the way. His sword lay at rest on his bed.

"Merry? Where are you?" Pippin called as soon as he exited the smial.

"This way Pip. Race you slow poke," Merry responded.

Pippin followed his cousin's voice. He didn't care where he was going, so long as he got to see Merry's face again. Maybe this meant Frodo and Sam were alright as well. He vaguely recognized the town of Pincup as he continued to follow Merry into Woody End.

"Meeeerrrrryyy," Pippin cried out. He had lost track of the Bucklander after following him into the woods. No response came. Pippin felt stupid as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. His left hand landed upon a leather bound journal.

_'I must have taken Kendrick's dream journal by accident this morning.' _He thought.

Suddenly, Kendrick's warning to him glared at him like the eye of Sauron. Pippin was petrified. He had done everything Kendrick told him he would do. Pippin went to unsheathed his sword. He cursed when he realized that he had forgotten it on his bed.

"Pip, are you alright?" Merry's voice called from behind. Pippin spun around to meet his cousin, who was smiling gently at him. Pippin could only meet Merry's smile with horror. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You've been missing for weeks Merry? Hobbits are turning up dead. We found Fatty last night. What's wrong you ask? Everything is wrong." Pippin yelled. "What's going on Merry?"

"I probably should be the one to explain," Pippin spun around to find Frodo standing not more than three feet from him. A gentle rustling of leaves alerted him to someone flanking him from the right. Sam was standing about eight feet from him. "It was the day you all came to visit me. I hadn't been feeling well. That night something came into Bag End and attacked me. It killed Bilbo, but spared me. It came back the next night."

"But, you got out of it?" Pippin asked dreamily. His eyes were locked with Frodo's. He faintly felt his cousin's hand brush against his face.

"Yes, and no. I fought back, and I managed to fatally wound the creature. But it changed me. I'm not the scared, weak Hobbit you once knew," Frodo whispered into Pippin's ear. His Took cousin's face was flush and warm.

"But Merry?...Kendrick saw him die," Pippin mumbled. Frodo paused at his cousin's statement. Pippin's eyes were droopy. His body swayed gently on his feet. The Hobbit was well under the mesmer, making him susceptible to speaking freely, as well as suggestion.

"How did Kendrick see Merry die? He's right here," Frodo asked. He noticed Pippin's left hand resting on an object in his pocket. Frodo gently moved his hand aside and pulled out the journal.

"He saw me die too," Pippin said. Frodo's ears perked.

"How?" Frodo asked.

"Like this," Pippin answered. Without having to ask, Frodo seemed to know what Pippin meant. He nudged his cousin into Merry's waiting arms. He gave a shallow nod to the Bucklander. Pippin's screams broke the silence of the night, but Frodo paid no attention. He was intrigued by Kendrick's journal, and was eager to discuss its contents with his cousin.


	4. Chapter 4

Kendrick had managed to sleep through the night. No nightmares had plagued him. He hoped that this was a good omen. He made his way to breakfast. Pervinca and Pimpernel were already partaking. As Kendrick sat down at his place, he heard Pearl come in.

Pearl was tired. The night had been long, but fortunately had gone well. Food was in order before bed. The eldest Took girl made her way to the table. As she approached her seat, her sisters gathered their plates and moved several spaces away from her. Pearl had long since stopped being bothered by her sisters' avoidance of her. Since she had join the Watch, she had grown apart from Pervinca and Pimpernel. She knew that they felt she was "unlady" like because of her willingness to join the Watch. They had even considered it scandalous when she went out in public wearing pants. Their relationship was so bad that the two refused to speak with her, much to their mother's lament.

Pearl took a her seat, putting her knapsack where Pimpernel's plate had just occupied. She felt her sisters' glares, but refused to rise.

"Pearl dear, please don't put your knapsack on the table," Eglantine chided. Pearl silently did as she was asked, and put her knapsack on the chair next to her. She could hear Pervinca and Pimpernel whisper to themselves. So could their mother. "Girls, no gossip at the table."

Kendrick gathered his plate and moved to sit next to Pearl. She seemed a bit irritated by this, but didn't stop him.

"How was last night?" Kendrick asked. He was genuinely interested in the goings on of the Watch. He knew Pearl wasn't fond of him. He was fit enough to join the Watch, but hadn't volunteered. He did feel ashamed that he hadn't, but the nightmares were so terrible. He didn't know if he could live through them twice. Unfortunately, his nightmares weren't something he could explain to Pearl, or the other Watch members.

"Better. We didn't find anybody. Granted that doesn't mean that we didn't lose somebody, but the air around Frogmorton seemed a lot calmer," Pearl answered. "Did Pippin come in for breakfast yet?"

"No dear, not yet. He's probably still asleep." Eglantine answered. She knew that her son needed his sleep, but it saddened her that he missed so many meals because of it. Because of the Watch. She began serving Pearl and Kendrick their portions of breakfast.

"Lazy lout." Pearl mumbled under her breath before taking a bite of her toast.

"I'll check on him after breakfast Aunt Eglantine," Kendrick offered.

–

Kendrick finished putting the last of the dishes from breakfast in the wash basin. He began the wash, but Eglantine wanted him to check on Pippin.

"I'll handle these. Go check on your cousin," She ordered.

Kendrick made his way to Pippin's bedroom. The door was shut and locked, which was very unusual. He knocked on the door.

"Pippin," Kendrick called out. No sound came from within. Not wanting to suffer his Aunt's tirade should he return to her with the news, he decided to enter the bedroom. He took a couple of pins he kept on the cuffs of his jacket. He placed the pins in the keyhole. He had long ago read on how to break into locks, but never thought he would have the opportunity to practice what he read. Until now, he had been using the pins in place of cuff links.

A gentle click alerted him to his success. Taking into consideration that Pippin might still be asleep, Kendrick slowly and quietly opened the bedroom door. Fear gripped him when he realized the room was empty. Pippin's bed was turned down as if he was going to bed, but otherwise looked unslept in. His sword lay on top of the comforter. Kendrick picked up the weapon. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he realized the truth. Pippin was gone.

"Okay you lazy bum. Time to get up...Kendrick, where's Pippin?" Pearl barged into the room. Kendrick was standing next to Pippin's empty bed. Holding his sword in his hands. Kendrick slowly turned towards her. Tears were falling from his eyes.

"He's gone Pearl." Kendrick whispered. He didn't even bother holding his tears back as he allowed himself to fall to the ground on his knees. He clutched the sword to his chest as he allowed himself to convulse in grief. He had failed.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Kendrick felt Pearl's arms wrap around his shoulders.

"He's dead," Kendrick cried onto Pearl's shoulder. "I saw it in my nightmares...how he would die. It's my fault. I convinced him to stay home last night. If he had gone with you, he would be alive."

Kendrick suddenly found himself on the floor. His face stung from where Pearl drew her hand across it.

"What sick game are you playing?" Pearl was livid. She gave him a good kick to his gut, not giving him time to answer her question. Kendrick could only groan in pain as Pearl stormed out of Pippin's room.

–

Kendrick stocked his knapsack with food from the pantry. There wasn't much to choose from since today was market day, which made this the perfect time to pack. He was leaving, and very likely wasn't going to be coming back. He had decided not to tell Eglantine that Pippin was gone. He merely told her that he was asleep. Pearl had holed up in her room, so he figured he'd have a few hours start before she told Eglantine the truth. He double checked to make sure he had everything he needed; knapsack full of provisions, cloak, sword. He let his hand rest on the hilt of Pippin's sword. He hoped that he wouldn't need to use it.

Confident that he had everything he would need, Kendrick set out for Bag End. Frodo and Sam had been the first to disappear. He hoped that there might be some clues as to what was going on at Bag End.

–

It was midday when Kendrick arrived at Bag End. The vines had been allowed to grow wildly and had overtaken the garden. The flowers were wilting from being choked to death by the vines. The hedge hadn't been trimmed in ages. The air around the smial felt ominous and dark.

The door to the smial was locked. Kendrick had expected that. He took Pippin's key and allowed himself in. It look liked no one had set foot inside the smial for months. A thin layer of dust covered every surface. Dust motes floated aimlessly through the few cracks of light that made it through the boarded up windows. Unsure if anyone was living in the smial, he slowly and quietly made his way through the home.

As he came upon the hallway leading to the bedrooms, ghostly figures entered Kendrick's vision. Bilbo's apparition was hurriedly walking down the hallway. Sting and phial in hand. The apparition hesitated when it gets to Frodo's room. Suddenly, a tall and gangly apparition appeared from the bedroom. It grabbed Bilbo and threw him down the hall, back toward Kendrick. He looked up to the creature, which was now gripping its arm in pain. Though the apparitions were colorless, the creature was unmistakeably wraith like. Kendrick recalled his cousins speak of the Nazgul during their sleep conversations.

Almost as soon as it began, the vision ended. However, time outside seemed to flow separate from the vision. The clock in the living room chimed six o' clock. It was nearly dusk. Kendrick made his way to the bedroom. There more apparitions appeared. Frodo was lying on his bed. He looked delirious and weak. Nothing like he had when Kendrick last saw him alive. Kendrick felt the apparition of the creature pass through him as it made its way to Frodo. He saw it cradle his cousin gently in its arms, then begin gnawing at his throat. The creature then screamed as Frodo returned the favor. It tried to get away from the Hobbit, but as it became weak, Frodo seemed to become stronger. The creature cried its final death knell as it exploded into a burst of fabric and blood.

Kendrick awakened from the vision to see that the room that had once witnessed horror and blood, was now clean and unassuming. The candle on the night stand gave the room a soft glow of warmth. Kendrick unsheathed Pippin's sword. Someone was here.

He slowly made his way back to the living room. He took care to check every shadow and hallway leading to the front of the smial. It wouldn't do him any good to be ambushed. The living room was as empty as the rest of the home. However, the house lamps were burning. Not wishing to say any longer, Kendrick made for the front door.

"Leaving already?" Kendrick heard Frodo call from behind him. He turned to see his cousin lounging in one of the living room arm chairs. A chair Kendrick could have sworn had been unoccupied mere seconds ago. "Why not say a while longer. We have so much to catch up on, cousin."

Kendrick's fingers slipped from the the door knob. He cautiously made his way to the chair across from Frodo's. His hand gripping Pippin's sword tightly. Frodo's eyes followed him from the door to the chair. As he sat down, Frodo's eyes fell to the sword.

"I don't think it's necessary to have weapons out. Besides, it's not really polite," Frodo suggested. Kendrick felt himself acquiesce to his cousin's request. However, he stopped himself short of sheathing the sword.

"Forgive me, but I feel a bit more comfortable otherwise. I'm sure you understand," Kendrick said as he placed the sword on the arm rest. He allowed Frodo the comfort of knowing that his hand would be on his lap and not on the hilt of his blade.

"I suppose it can't be helped, can it?" Frodo sighed. He pulled out the small leather bound journal. "I'm sure you know where I got this."

"Pippin's body." Kendrick responded curtly. He clenched his fists at the sight of the journal. The vision of Pippin's demise was still fresh in his head.

"Body? Dear Kendrick, Pippin is just fine. I can take you to him if you'd like." Frodo's words were like a siren's song. Kendrick felt the spell of them wash over him. However, the horrifying vision from earlier reminded him that this Frodo was no longer a Hobbit, but a monster.

"Like you took Merry? Like you made Merry take Pippin? Into Woody End? Into the shadows? You know, the visions didn't make sense until just now. The figures I saw, were you, Sam, and later Merry. You've become monsters. And monsters have no place in the Shire," Kendrick threatened. His hand was itching to take up Pippin's blade, but he stayed it. He waited for Frodo's reaction.

"Well, it seems I don't need to explain what happened since you seem to know all about it. Kendrick the Weird. It's such a shame. I was going to offer you freedom. Freedom from fear, weakness, weirdness...but, it seems you don't want my gift," Frodo's voice was calm if not a bit forlorn. Without warning, he lunged at Kendrick. However, the other Hobbit anticipated the attack. Kendrick grabbed Pippin's sword and slashed out in a general direction. Frodo screamed as he cradled his left arm, now a bloody stump. His forearm disintegrated into ash on the floor. Kendrick held the point of his sword to Frodo. Frodo was faster than Kendrick could react. He brushed passed Kendrick's sword arm and grabbed the the collar of his shirt with his right arm. Kendrick seemed to weigh nothing as Frodo flung him into the far wall. Kendrick hit the wall so hard that it cracked. Debris and dust settled on top of him as he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

Due to my work schedule in the next week, Chapter six will be delayed. I will try to get it out as soon as possible. Until then, please enjoy Chapter 5.

* * *

Kendrick awoke alert and disoriented. The scent of ammonia was still strong in his nose. He guessed someone had used smelling salts to wake him up. Either that or Frodo pissed on him while he was down. He hoped it wasn't the latter.

He scanned the room wildly. He knew he had been unconscious and vulnerable. He wondered how long he had been out. Had Frodo had time to do to him what he had done to the others? He didn't feel different. Reality hit him like a glass of cold water. Though that could have been due to a glass of cold water being thrown into his face.

"Better?" Pearl asked. Kendrick focused on his cousin. She was balancing on the ball of her feet as she straddled his legs. She twirled the empty mug in her hands as she smirked at his soaked, disheveled state.

"No. Why are you here? I thought you didn't believe me," Kendrick replied. Pearl tossed his dream journal onto his chest.

"I took a peak through it while you were unconscious. At first I thought that it was you doing the killings. Pippin and I talked about you a bit during Watch. We were both upset that you didn't join when you could have. He told me that you knew that we had found Fatty. I didn't believe him, but it's there in your journal. The details are too vivid to not place you there with Fatty, but Pippin told me you were with him that morning when we found him. There's no way you could have been killed Fatty, then talked with Pippin that morning. Kendrick, what is going on?" Pearl asked.

Kendrick allowed himself a moment to collect himself before he would answer. Everything still seemed surreal. The visions were real. His confrontation with Frodo was now proof of that. That also meant that everything was true. Merry...Pippin...Sam...They were all gone. Made monsters by a Hobbit he had once called cousin.

"It began with Frodo. I think something followed him back from his journey. I saw a vision earlier in his room. The creature looked like the Nazgul Pip and Merry talked about. It killed Bilbo and was slowly killing Frodo. I'm guessing it was draining him of blood. It bit into his neck. As it lingered, Frodo grew weaker, but then he turned on it. Something happened when he did. He's not the Hobbit we knew Pearl. He's done something to the others too. Pearl, if you see them, don't trust them. Not even Pippin," Kendrick explained.

Pearl allowed her cousin to get up. Her legs were beginning to cramp from squatting so long anyway. Kendrick ran his hand through his wet hair.

"You didn't see Frodo, did you?" Kendrick asked.

"No. When I got here, all I saw was you. Why?" Pearl responded.

"Nothing. He must have run off before you got here. Maybe he heard you coming and decided against further confrontation. Look! This window has been broken through," Kendrick pointed to the broken window near the back of the living room. He saw that no glass was lying on the living room floor. The window had been broken from the inside out.

Though he didn't feel different, Kendrick was unsure if Frodo bit him between the time he was knocked out and when Pearl arrived. He ran to the bathroom and checked himself thoroughly in the mirror.

"What are you doing?" Pearl asked.

"Checking for bite marks. Frodo had plenty of time to kill me or worse. I don't know why he didn't. Maybe disarming him, literally, weakened him. I managed to a lucky stroke when he attacked and took his right arm." Kendrick replied. He was relieved to find no sign of bite marks anywhere on his neck or shoulders.

"What are we going to do?" Pearl asked.

"You are going to handle the Watch. Tell what you think they can handle. I'm going to leave the Shire. I'm thinking I may have angered Frodo enough for him to chase me. Better he and the others chase one Hobbit than stick around and bleed the rest of the Shire dry," Kendrick replied. He grabbed a towel and began drying himself off. If he had to set out that night, he might as well be dry.

"Right, so what happens if he and the others don't chase you out of the Shire?" Pearl asked.

"Then we'll arm you and the Watch. Bilbo came back from Erebor with treasure. Maybe it included some weaponry," Kendrick said. He led Pearl to Bilbo's stash. Kendrick opened the linen cabinet at the end of the bedchamber hallway. It was a brilliant hiding place Bilbo had created shortly after returning from his journey. Bilbo had the foresight to think that his loathsome Sacville-Baggins cousins would try to pilfer it when he wasn't looking. As it turned out, it was not long after he had hidden his share of treasure when the old Hobbit had caught Lobelia trying to make off with his silverware. Kendrick removed the linen from the bottom shelf and lifted the floor. The space contained gold and jewels, but no weapons.

"What now genius?" Pearl asked. Kendrick glared at his cousin. The next logical place to look was the oak chest Bilbo kept at the foot of his bed. He made his way to the chest, but paused before opening the heavy wooden lid. When he opened the lid, tears began to pool when his eyes landed on the red book sitting inside the chest. Bilbo's entire account of his journey was in that book. Frodo had also began to write in it as well, though Kendrick suspected he wouldn't be getting around to finishing his part of the story any time soon. He gently took the book and sat it on the bed. Underneath the book lay Sting. Kendrick took the blade in both of his hands.

"Here, take Sting. It's Elven made, so it should be effective against any of them should they confront you," Kendrick handed the sword to Pearl.

"What about you?" Pearl asked. She was reluctant to take the blade, but Kendrick all but forced it into her hands.

"I've got Pippin's sword. I'll be alright. Though I'm afraid this is the only weapon in the smial. Might tell Halfred to pilfer some of the Gaffer's tools to use as weapons," Kendrick said as he closed the lid to the chest. He began to make his way to the front door, but Pearl's strong hand grabbed him by the arm.

"You're not thinking of going out tonight are you?" Pearl asked.

"They probably won't come after me tonight. I can get a decent head start on them." Kendrick replied. He winced as Pearl tightened her grip on his arm. For a Hobbit lass, she was quite strong. Years of pushing Lalia's great arse around the Shire had built that strength. Pearl must have maintained her physique since the old cow's death.

"You'll wait until morning," Pearl ordered. She could tell that Kendrick wanted to argue, but she merely tightened her grip further to silence him. "Am I understood?"

–

Pearl hesitated at the door of the Green Dragon Inn. She could barely believe what she had learned in the last day and a half. How could she expect the Watch to believe that the monsters that have been terrorizing the Shire were the Hobbits they were searching for and hoping were safe. Pearl knew the truth now, but she didn't know if the rest of the Watch could handle it. Normally Pippin would be right be her side, but he was gone now. Allegedly one of the monsters they were hunting according to Kendrick. Pearl entered the inn and took her usual seat. Halfred, Marigold, and Rufus were already present and seated.

"Where's Pippin?" Halfred asked.

"He's not coming." Pearl answered. A wave of despair washed over the members of the Watch. Marigold held back her tears to the best of her ability. Tears wouldn't do anyone any good. She reminded herself that the Watch was there to be strong for the Shire.

"We'll find him Pearl. Hopefully it's not too late and we'll find him alive. Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" Halfred asked. He hoped that Pippin had just stupidly wandered off, and would return home to a good lecture from Pearl. However, even he had to acknowledge that the likelihood of finding Pippin alive was slim to none.

"I don't know where Pippin could have gone. However, he would want us to continue our patrols as if he were here. Frogmorton has quieted a bit. Most of the attacks have taken place near the forest. Pincup might be a good place to patrol tonight," Pearl's suggestion was deceptive. It was true that Pippin would want them to look for everyone, and not just himself. Even with all he had been through, he still had a sort of childlike innocence about him. He was also selfless, and always put others before him. Pearl, on the other hand, was a selfish bitch. She knew that Pippin was last seen near Pincup. Though Kendrick hadn't named the town from his vision, he was at least able to describe it clearly enough.

"Pincup it is then. Anything else before we head out?" Halfred asked.

"Do you think you can pilfer some of the Gaffer's tools to use as possible weapons?" Pearl asked.

"We're not fighters. Besides, do you know how much of a lecture I'd get from the Gaffer if he caught me taking his gardening tools?" Halfred balked.

"These things took one of our own. We need to be armed. Besides, do you know how much of a pounding you'd get from me if you don't take the Gaffer's tools?" Pearl explained.

–

Pincup was all but deserted. The streets were bare and unkempt. Windows were broken. Doors swung open in the cold night wind. Rotting fruit lay untouched on market stalls. Some of the produce was strewn about the main street, which had fallen from an overturned wagon. The night sky was cloudless, allowing the moonlight to shine brilliantly. This cast sinister shadows upon the smials. The Hobbits of the Watch moved slowly and silently as possible. The darkness within the smials was impenetrable.

Pearls grip on the hoe is so tight she could feel her knuckles turn white. Anything could be lying in wait in the dark. As the group turned the corner to a small smial laden street, they noticed a cloaked figure lying unmoving in the middle of the road. Marigold recognized the hay colored curls of her brother and began running toward him. Pearl stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Wait. It could be a trap. I'll check on him, and let you know if it's safe. Keep your guard up until I say otherwise." Pearl whispered her orders. She slowly made her way to the prone Sam Gamgee. She used the blunt end of the hoe to lift the cowl from his face. Sam's face was fresh as that of any living Hobbit. He was either alive, or only barely dead. Pearl couldn't see if he was breathing. Not wanting to make herself vulnerable to attack, she took the same end of the hoe and jabbed the Gardener hard in the side.

"OW! What was that for?" Sam cradled his side in pain. She flipped the hoe to where the sharp end of the tool was now pointed at him. Sam scurried to his feet at the threat. "What are you doing poking sleeping Hobbits in the middle of the night?"

"I only poke sleeping Hobbits who sleep in the middle of a ghost town. Hobbits who have been missing for months. Hobbits who may be involved in my brother's disappearance. Tell me Sam Gamgee. Know of any such Hobbits?" Pearl's question was more of a demand.

"Pearl! Stop it. If Sam's alright, then Pippin would be fine too. They probably already ran into each other," Marigold pleaded.

"That's right. Pearl there's no need to be unreasonable. I ran into Pippin yesterday, but we got holed up here by the monsters. Marigold, Halfred, I'm sorry that I worried you so badly, but I couldn't leave Master Frodo," Sam explained. He began walking toward his sister, but Pearl stopped him with the shaft of the hoe.

"No," Pearl ordered.

"Pearly. We're all safe. Put the hoe down," Merry said as he stepped out of the smial to her right. Pearl turned her attention, and her hoe to Merry. She was beginning to feel panic. Her breathing was coming in rapid spurts as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her heart felt like it could burst through her chest at any moment.

"Pearl, they said that they're alright. Once we get Pippin and Frodo, we can all go home," Marigold said. She couldn't contain her relief, and ran to her brother who drew her into a hug.

Pearl's breath stopped in her chest. Marigold had put them in a very bad situation. The monsters had them flanked, with Marigold a hostage. Pearl had no way of articulating this to the Watch. She mentally kicked herself for not telling them the truth. Now her silence would doom them all.

Pearl felt a gust of wind brush past her. She heard Marigold screaming behind her. She turned away from Merry to look back at the scene unfolding. Her eyes widened as she watched Pippin pinning Sam to the ground. The two Hobbits clawed and bit at each other like feral cats. One or the other would roar in pain and fury as the other scored a hit with talon or fang. Halfred was cradling Marigold as she wept into his arms. Rufus didn't seem to know what to make of what he was seeing. Pearl couldn't blame him. Remembering Merry, she turned her attention back to her Buckland cousin.

Merry watched the melee with only mild irritation. He returned his gaze to meet Pearl's. For a moment, Pearl felt a wave of vertigo pass over her. It was unnatural. As if someone was pushing aside her consciousness in order to supplant it with their own. Pearl fought the presence in her mind. She shook her head, blinked, sneezed, anything she could think of to distract herself from Merry's gaze.

Rage building in her, Pearl swung her hoe hard at Merry. The Bucklander caught the tool with ease and ripped it from her grip. Pearl was stunned that Merry could so easily overpower her strength. Her strength was her greatest asset, and a boon to her in her dealings with her younger brother and cousin. Merry had always been afraid of her. Now she was afraid of him.

Pearl felt the wind leave her lungs as the blunt end of the hoe impacted her side. The force of the blow caused her to fly back several feet. Pearl hit the ground hard. She desperately tried to force air back into her lungs as Merry casually walked towards her.

Rufus finally managed to get his wits about him. He saw Pearl fly back after being struck by her own hoe. Pippin and Sam were still fighting, but Merry was making his way toward Pearl. His demeanor reminded him of a cat stalking a bird. Without thinking, Rufus gripped his gardening sheers and charged toward the Bucklander. Rufus only had seconds to really think about the futility of his actions as he felt Merry's fingers close around his throat. His feet dangled helplessly in the air as he struggled to breath. The gardening sheers were taken from his hands as if a toy was being taken from a child. Agonizing pain shot through his chest. He felt his lungs fill with fluid, and the taste of copper prominent on his tongue. He felt himself falling. It felt like an eternity, but the journey only lasted seconds. He could barely hear Marigold screaming in terror at the mess he must have been. Darkness was quick to overcome him as he drew his last breath.

Pearl was finally able to draw breath. She coughed violently as the air forced its way into her lungs. Merry was still coming toward her. He licked Rufus' blood off of his hand as he slowly made his way to her. Still stunned from earlier, Pearl could do nothing more than try to crawl away. As she turned to make her escape, she felt Merry's hands on her back. The hands suddenly became a wall as she was thrown into the side of a smial. Her head was swimming. Vomit and bile tickled the back of her throat as she fought the nausea. Merry was again advancing toward her. He looked like was enjoying the punishment he was dealing to her.

Pearl balled her fingers into a fist, grabbing a bit of dirt as well. If she couldn't win the fight, she could hopefully buy time to flee. Before she could throw the handful of earth, Merry caught her hand. His grip was like stone. Pearl screamed as the bones in her wrist threatened to break under her cousin's grasp. With a flick of his thumb, he forced her to drop the dirt she had been holding.

"Now now, that's no way to greet family," Merry said. Unable to fight the tears, Pearl sobbed in fear as her cousin toyed with her.

_'Where the hell was Halfred?' _She thought.

"You have quite a bit of bullying to atone for Pearly, but you are still family. And family should stick together. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'll torture you until the brink of death. Slowly, so that any...accidents can be avoided. Once you're on that edge, we'll make you one of us. It's not so bad once you get used to it. I do miss the sun sometimes, but the gains far outweigh the losses," Merry whispered into her ear. She felt his tongue brush against her temple where a bit of blood had dripped from her scalp. Pearl felt his free hand reach for her blade.

Merry's screams pierced her ears. The stench of burned flesh assailed her nostrils. Her cousin was grasping his right hand in pain. Smoke rose from the sizzling flesh. It took a moment to realize that Merry had burned himself on her sword. Sting.

Welcoming her moment of clarity, Pearl drew sting from its sheath. Merry recoiled from the mere sight of the blade. His face was twisted in fury and pain. Pearl got up and forced him further back. She finally had a chance to get a good look at the creature her cousin had become. Though he still looked like the Hobbit she knew, his fingernails were now long, sharp talons. His eyes were amber lined with ruby instead of the sky blue they had once been. The most striking change was now his deadliest weapon. His teeth bore fangs. Two pair on the top, his second incisors and his canines, and on the bottom his lower canines.

Merry hissed and growled as Pearl approached him with Sting drawn. The light from the blade was too much for his eyes to take. He couldn't see where he was going, and ended up tripping over Sam and Pippin. Sam felt the Bucklander fall on him. He too recoiled as the sight of Sting offended his eyes. Knowing that they were outmatched by the elven blade, Sam dragged Merry and Pippin to their feet. He ushered them towards the woods. Merry followed him closely, but Pippin stayed behind.

Pippin turned back toward his older sister. He held his hand up to his eyes in an attempt to block Sting from his vision. His body felt fear, but his mind was clear and unafraid. He looked forlornly at Pearl. With his eyes he told her that he was sorry for everything. Her eyes seemed to say the same. Pippin wanted to hug his older sister. To tell her with words that he was sorry, but he couldn't.

"Pippin! Come on!" Sam roared. Pippin gave a pleading look to Sam, but he had no choice but to obey. He looked back to his sister one last time before running into the woods.

Once she was certain that the three of them were gone, Pearl sheathed Sting. Marigold's sobbing was audible. Pearl turned to the pair. Halfred was doing his best to comfort his sister, but Pearl could see he was barely holding it together. Pearl walked over to Rufus. His eyes unseeing and lifeless. The gardening sheers jutting out of his chest. Pearl gently closed her fellow member's eyes.

"What is going on Pearl?" Halfred asked. His voice was laced with anger.

"Last night I found Kendrick at Bag End. He had been attacked by Frodo, however he was unharmed. Apparently for the last few months he had been having nightmares. Nightmares that showed him in great detail much of what has been happening in the Shire. Including what happened to Merry and Pippin. These dreams lead him to Bag End where he encountered Frodo, whom he claimed to have disarmed...literally. I almost didn't believe it myself, but he, or rather his journal, described in vivid detail some of the Hobbits we found. Before you ask, there was no way Kendrick could have been involved in their deaths. I had decided not to tell you because I wasn't sure how you would handle it. But because of my decision, Rufus is dead," Pearl explained. She fell to her knees as exhaustion overwhelmed her.

The first blow to her face stung. The flurry that followed compounded the pain, but it wasn't enough to pull Pearl out of her stupor. Halfred pulled Marigold off of Pearl. She continued her sobbing into the dirt road. The anger inside him was too much. Halfred balled his hand into a fist, then planted it squarely in Pearl's face. The Hobbit lass fell back from the blow. Halfred wanted to strike the Took girl again, but held his anger in check. Never in a thousand years did he think he would ever hit a lass. He had proven himself wrong, but did not feel shame for it. It was the least that Pearl deserved.

Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't expel you from the Watch. Tell me why I shouldn't pummel you into a bloody mess? You should have told us the truth. Instead your secrets got one of us killed," Halfred demanded. His nails dug into the palm of his hand as he clenched his fist tighter. The pain did nothing to quell his anger.

"Would you really have believed me if I told you? Would you have believed Kendrick if you read his journal? The only reason I believed was Pippin. However, he wasn't around a few hours ago to give credit to Kendrick's journal or my tale," Pearl wiped the blood dripping from her nose. Though it ached quite a bit, her nose was thankfully not broken. Halfred could throw quite a punch. "As for pummeling me into a bloody mess, I think not. Throw another fist my way again, and I'll break your hand."

"That's enough you two. Halfred, Pearl's right. We wouldn't have believed her. I still can't believe that Sam is…" Marigold choked back her tears. "We need to stop fighting. Otherwise they're just going to pick us off."

"How do we fight them? You saw Merry throwing Pearl around as if she were a doll. You saw him pick Rufus up with one hand before he killed him. He was just one. There are four of them, and only three of us. It would probably take an army of Men or Elves to fight just them." Halfred ranted. He ran his hand nervously through his hair.

"Merry said something about missing the sun. I think that they may be vulnerable to sunlight if he means what I think he means. He also burned himself on Sting. Maybe other Elven blades will burn them too," Pearl surmised. She brushed her hand gently on the hilt of the sword. The wooden hilt was unmarred despite having seared her cousin's skin as if it had been a red hot poker.

"How did you get Sting?" Halfred asked.

"I borrowed it from Frodo," Pearl replied curtly.

"You mean you stole it. By the Valar, are there no depths you will sink to?" Halfred was exasperated. "I can't trust you. As of now, you're out of the Watch. You withheld valuable information. Information that could have prevented Rufus' death. That's more blood on your hands…" Halfred was cutoff.

"Halfred! Please stop! Merry killed Rufus, not Pearl. As it is there aren't enough of us to even be a Watch. Let's go home now. If we stay out her any longer, they may come back and finish us off," Marigold pleaded.

"Pearl's a killer too Goldie," Halfred started.

"Lalia's death was an accident. Why are you still so bothered by it?" Marigold was tired of her brother's stubbornness. She was tired, physically and emotionally. Her neck and back ached terribly. She felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Her fatigue won out as she collapsed. She felt strong arms catch her before she hit the ground. The strong smell of ammonia woke her from her stupor. She looked up to see Pearl holding smelling salts to her nose. The scent caused her to cough

"We need to get out of here. You may not like me, but right now you need me. If for nothing except to carry your sister home," Pearl stated as she lifted Marigold into her arms. Marigold was a healthy plump lass. Pearl didn't think that the Gaffer's daughter would be too much of a burden.

"I can carry my own sister home," Halfred retorted.

"Please, you can't even tend a quarter of the garden at Bag End without needing a lunch break," Pearl shot back.

"Stop it both of you," Marigold slurred. She absentmindedly rubbed her aching neck and shoulder. She felt a dribble of moisture on her neck, but thought nothing of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. The next chapter may be delayed as well. Midterms are this week, and I have quite a bit of work to catch up on. Please enjoy.

– – –

The dirt road was sopping wet and muddy from the deluge that pounded down upon the small town of Bree. Though it was only late afternoon, most of the citizenry had taken refuge indoors from the pouring rain. No work could be done today due to the weather anyway.

Kendrick made his way to the Prancing Pony Inn. Though there were other inns in Bree, Kendrick remembered hearing his cousins talk about this particular inn as the one they met Strider. Whom was later discovered to be Aragon, later to become King Elessar. Kendrick was fond of his cousins' adventures. The prospect of staying a night or two at a place of great significance to them brightened his spirits a bit. Though he felt despair at his cousins' plights, it didn't temper his enthusiasm for adventure and history.

The Prancing Pony was old, but clean and well kept. Kendrick felt a bit guilty for tracking mud all over the wooden floor. He had done his best to wash his feet with the rain water outside, but he had only seemed to make more of a mess.

He bought himself a half pint and sat down in the corner of the inn. The seat he took was ill lit, which suited him fine. He wasn't in a sociable mood. He wondered how Pearl and the Watch were holding up. He hoped that things would work as he figured. Frodo and the others would follow him to the ends of Middle Earth, leaving the Shire alone.

He took out his journal and began writing down the last two visions he had. What was the wraith like creature that attacked Frodo? Would knowing help him find a remedy, or were his cousins permanently twisted, corrupt darklings?

"Did you here? They found another body near the mill. Third one this month. The healer's having trouble figuring out who it is. The poor bloke's face was ripped off." said a Middle Aged Patron. Kendrick focused in on the conversation, hoping in some small way that he could gain more information from the Bree-folk.

"Heard that it was a Shire Hobbit. Farmer Maggot seemed to have gone missing a week or so ago. Could have been him. Could have also been Rory Stilton. The lad was always going places he shouldn't have. Always givin' his mother heartache," replied the Bartender.

Kendrick felt the pang of loss deep. Though he was barely acquainted with Farmer Maggot, and completely unacquainted with the Bree boy, he felt in some way responsible for their deaths. Irrational, he thought, but he could not help it. Kendrick nursed his ale in silence. As the alcohol worked it's way to his brain, the chatter became an unintelligible dull roar. The white noise was beginning to make him drowsy. He swallowed his last gulp of ale before retiring to his room.

Another vision came to him that night. He saw them standing on a knoll blanketed in emerald grass. Two trees of brilliant splendor. One gilded gold, the other shimmering silver. Light shined from the trees as bright as the sun and moon. The light from these trees drove away the weariness from the last few months. The dark thoughts dispersed, as the light acted like a soothing balm over Kendrick's mind.

–

Frodo bit back a roar as Sam tended to his bloody stump of an arm. He cursed Kendrick a thousand times for cutting his arm off. He imagined his cousin's body broken and bloody beneath his feet. Kendrick's chest popping and cracking from each labored breath. The sound of his cousin's screams as he dined upon his sweet blood.

"It looks far worse than it is Mister Frodo. I figure that your arm will be healed up in a day or two. Maybe sooner if you get a good meal in you." Sam's voice broke Frodo out of his fantasy.

"Thank you Sam. Speaking of meals, where is dinner?" Frodo asked. Sam flinched under his Master's gaze.

"Three of them got away. Rufus was wasted," Sam couldn't meet Frodo's eyes. He could feel his Master's ire as if it were a blanket upon him.

"Wasted?" Frodo inquired.

"Run through with the Gaffer's shears. Couldn't even get a taste," Sam replied sheepishly. He felt Frodo's hand upon his face. His grip was gentle as he brought Sam's eyes to his own. He felt his Master's gaze pierce into his soul.

"Merry, why did you waste Rufus? You know I don't like to waste food," Frodo's voice was soft, but commanding.

"It wasn't my fault that we lost dinner. If Pippin hadn't attacked Sam the four of them on a platter by now," Merry's reply was met by the sting of claws across his face.

"Three of those four are our siblings! Sam's brother and sister. My sister! YOU THINK I WOULD ALLOW YOU TO MAKE MEALS OUT OF THEM!?" Pippin roared. The young Darkling fell to the ground from the force of Merry's backhand. He roared as he swung wildly back at his cousin. Merry caught his hand. He tried to break free, but Merry was too strong.

"They aren't us Pip. Not yet anyway," Merry said.

"WORSE EVEN! I WON'T LET YOU CONDEMN MY SISTER TO THIS UNLIFE!" Pippin roared. He swung wildly at Merry. He felt rocks and branches dig into his back as Merry slammed him into the earth. He felt Merry's hand constrict around his throat. Had it been necessary to breathe, he surely would have panicked. All he could think about was tearing his cousin's eyes out. When did Merry become such a bastard.

"Merry, enough. It's of no fault of Pippin's. He can't help himself, as he still has light about him. It'll soon pass, but we must be patient with him until it does," Sam chastised. Pippin felt Merry's grip loosen. He felt no pressing need to rise after the last of his cousin's weight lifted from him. Pippin stared at the canopy of the grotto they were taking refuge in. The thick, leafy branches wove tightly to prevent any ray of sunlight from entering their abode. Light which would surely kill him should he step into it. He had thought about waiting for the dawn to take him. He had even tried the night before, but a presence in his mind would not allow himself to step into the light.

Thoughts of the night before flooded his mind. The excruciating pain as his friends drained the life from him. The coppery taste of Frodo's blood on his tongue. The feeling of repulsion as he greedily drank from his friend. Unable to will himself to pull away. Unable to stop until Frodo forced him to. The darkness of unconsciousness taking him; and later waking, screaming, at the monster he had become. He had tried to crawl into the sunlight. Somehow knowing that the light would end his miserable existence. Yet as he reached the barrier between shadow and light, he was unable to force so much as a fingertip into the ray.

He cried as Frodo explained to him what would happen to him. The light he had, the light that kept him the Hobbit he was, would fade in time. He would no longer care about his mortal bonds. Those Hobbits he had called family would cease to be nothing more than food. He thought about all of those Hobbits he had found with the watch. The anguish on their families' faces as he had to inform them of their loved ones' passing. He could not bear to cause such sorrow, as his friends had done.

Gentle fingers traced through his curly hair. Pippin turned away from Frodo's touch. Tears fell from his eyes. Sobs wracked his body as the weight of the last day and night took its toll. Frodo continued to run his fingers through his hair. The gesture was comforting, despite the hand it came from. Pippin felt soothing darkness fall upon him, allowing him to enter a dreamless sleep.

–

The Watch took a table in the corner, far removed from their usual spot. The Green Dragon Inn was busy this evening. Like it had been before the murders. The inn was bustling with cheerful banter, song, and dance. Patrons drank merrily, as if unaware, or perhaps uncaring of the darkness crawling through the Shire.

Pearl did her best to steady her shaking hand as he rose her tankard to her lips. It had been a week since that fateful night in Pincup. A week since Merry had thrown her around like a rag doll. His face twisted and feral. In his eyes, the enjoyment of causing her pain. His smile marred by sinister fangs as he ran Rufus through with the Gaffer's gardening shears. A week since she had last seen her Pipsqueak. Her brother snarling and lashing at Samwise, who likewise lashed back with fang and claw. The lot of them now monsters. Monsters that thrived on the fear and pain of the living. Pearl closed her eyes and remembered her dear Pipsqueak looking back to her. Unimaginable sorrow filled his eyes.

_Pearl?_

"Pearl?! Are you alright?" Halfred asked. Pearl returned her focus onto reality. Halfred's face was lined with worry.

"I'm alright. Just remembering last week," Pearl replied. The three of them bore some scar from Pincup. Marigold had seemed to suffer the worst of the three. The Hobbit lass was fighting to stay awake. The poor thing had barely slept this week. Halfred and mentioned that the events of that night had been haunting his sister's sleep. She had even been crying out Sam's name in her fits.

"I still can't comprehend it myself. Sam...He isn't my brother anymore, is he Pearl?" Halfred's voice cracked. Pearl bit back her tears.

"I know this will seem like bad form, but they needed replacing nonetheless," Pearl said as she placed a box onto the table. "I made them myself. They'll probably be a bit heavy, but they'll get through any tough job for it."

Halfred removed the box top to reveal a new pair of gardening shears. As Pearl said they were rather heavy, almost unwieldy they were so heavy. Halfred could barely manage to remove the shears from the box.

"Oy, you weren't kidding when you said they were heavy. When did you learn smithing?" Halfred asked. The silliness of trying to lift these shears drove away the dark memory of the shears that did poor Rufus in. Halfred watched in mild irritation and veiled amusement as Pearl handily wielded these shears.

"I took to learning smithing a few years ago after I started doing handy work around the inn. Rosie had needed an extra hand when you wrote that you would be out sick for a week. I started out by chopping firewood. By the end of the week, she had given me your old job," Pearl replied.

"I remember that. I was so angry at that. I still am to be honest, but it seems so trivial compared to all that's happened. Why did you take up smithing, and wood chopping, and other handy work? It's hardly work for a lass," Halfred asked. Pearl's eyes darkened as she mulled her answer.

"Hardly work for a lass? Perhaps, for one with prospects of marriage," Pearl replied. Her eyes distant as she answered.

"I don't get what you mean," Halfred waited for Pearl to clarify.

"I'm unsociable. I have no notion of what is going on in the Shire. I might as well be a stranger for what I know. I hardly have suitors lining up for my hand anyway. A lass like me has to know how to do lads' work to survive," Pearl said. She took another sip of her drink as she allowed Halfred to make sense of her statement.

Halfred felt shame and guilt as he thought about Pearl's confession. He knew what she said was true. He had seen it himself over the years. The last time he had seen Pearl attend a party was Bilbo's eleventy first birthday party. Whenever he chanced to see her in public, her greetings would always be courteous, but short. No gossip, no flirting, not even idle chat about the weather. Her dealings with other lasses were even shorter. Normally he'd hear them giggling about fashion, social events, and eligible lads.

He recalled that chatter would die whenever Pearl was near by, but would roar up again the moment she left. Rumors had circulated about how she had broken Meriadoc's foot by dropping a wagon on it, or how she had caused Frodo a beauty of a black eye by striking him with the butt end of an ax. The worst rumor was that she had willfully caused Lalia the Great's death, but rolling her off a hill and leaving her to die. The official story was that the wheelchair had slipped her grip and Lalia's death was an unfortunate accident. Most of the Shire believed otherwise, but since it is recorded as such, nothing could be done to punish the Took lass. Nothing save shunning her.

"Pearl...I'm sorry...I..." Halfred began, but was cut off by Pearl.

"It's not your fault. It's not really anyone's fault. Anyone living that is," Pearl comforted.

"Pearl, what happened with Lalia?" Halfred asked quietly.

"I don't wish to talk about it..." Pearl replied. The two sat in silence for some minutes. Marigold was all but forgotten as she seemed to have fallen asleep. Pearl looked closer to her fellow Watchman. Marigold's complexion looked pale and waxy. Her breathing was ragged and faint.

"Halfred, Marigold! She's not well," Pearl stated. Halfred turned to his sister. Marigold was beginning to gasp for every breath she could take. Her lips turning blue from lack of air.

"Marigold! MARIGOLD!" Halfred screamed. He shook Marigold, hoping to get a response from her. A few patrons gathered around to see what the commotion was. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, GET A HEALER!"

Pearl loosened Marigold's bodice to give her chest more room to expand. She placed her ear to the Gamgee girl's chest in order to see if her lungs were taking in more air. Her eyes widened in terror.

"Halfred, she has no heartbeat," Pearl exclaimed. Tears threatened to fall from Halfred's eyes. Panic began to set in at the thought of losing another sibling.

"Why is the door locked" One of the Patrons asked. Pearl felt her heart leap into her throat at such a simple question. Her hand fell to Sting's handle.

"Halfred?" Pearl called. Her voice cracking with fear. Halfred barely heard Pearl call to him through his sobs. He pressed his forehead to Marigold's as he gently ran his fingers through her flaxen locks.

"Halfred?" Marigold rasped. Halfred looked at his sister. Her fingers gently brushed his face. Halfred grasped her hands in his. His tears of sorrow turning into tears of relief.

"Marigold, you're alright?" Halfred sobbed.

"Halfred?" Pearl called again.

"Everything will be alright Halfred. Trust me," Marigold comforted. Halfred's blood curdling scream filled the room. Agony surged through his body as Marigold's teeth tore into his throat.

"HALFRED NO!" Pearl screamed. Her mind was racing wildly. She didn't want to draw Sting on Marigold, but she needed to do something to dislodge her from Halfred. The shears still sat on the table. She bore her strength into the weight of the shears. Marigold was easily knocked back by the blow. Halfred gasped and coughed as his lungs struggled to draw in breath through the blood pouring into his windpipe. His gasps became fainter, and his eyes glassed over as life slipped from his body.

Pearl had no time for tears as screams filled the inn. Half of the patrons bore the same sharp fangs that her brother and cousin had bore the week before. Those who were still Hobbits desperately tried to run from their feral brethren, but to no avail. The inn had been a cleaver trap. The door was locked, and the windows were too small for any Hobbit to fit through. The monsters made short work of rounding up their prey. The floor was a sea of blood and screaming bodies.

Two of the monstrous Hobbits charged at Pearl. Willing herself through the shock, she swung the gardening shears in a mighty arch. The force of the blow was plenty to knock the creatures back a good four or five feet. Witnessing the commotion, more of the creatures advanced toward her. Wielding the shears as a weapon, Pearl knocked each of her attackers back. One creature jumped on her from behind, hoping to destabilize her and knock her to to the ground. Most living Hobbits underestimated her strength. They still did even when turned into these foul creatures. With little effort Pearl lifted her attacker high into the air. Using gravity as well as muscle, she slammed the creature hard into a oak wood table, splitting it in two.

Pearl's breath was heavy with fatigue. The monsters kept coming. It was all a matter of stamina now. They had far more than she. Eventually she would tire to much to fight, then she would be done for. Her forearm brushed against Sting as she willed herself to stand straight. How could she have forgotten Sting? The creatures fell back as she drew the Elvish blade from its sheath.

There were far too many of them for her to fight. Especially since she had no skill with swords. Sting did, however, provide her a clearing through the monsters. Pearl fell back towards the door to the inn. Sting in her left hand, and the shears in her right. The creatures followed, but dared not come within five feet of the blade. Pearl looked to the door. The door was locked with a heavy bolt lock. She pressed on the door. The door gave under the pressure, indicating that no barrier lay on the other side.

Pearl looked back to the horde of monstrous Hobbits. They gnashed their teeth at her, but dared not advance further. Pearl placed the blade of Sting between her teeth, taking care not to cut her tongue on the sharp blade. She took the shears and set to work on the lock. The weight of the shears made surprisingly quick work of the lock.

The door opened to a yawning darkness. Pearl dropped the shears to the floor, their usefulness fulfilled. The creatures advanced, but were again held at bay by Sting's light. Pearl pointed the blade straight at them, silently warning any of them what await them should they try to attack. Pearl took a moment to catch her breath and steel her nerves before running into the night.


End file.
